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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

The Case for the Electoral College Stopping Trump

United States Constitution: Article 2, Section 1:

“Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress: but no senator or representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.”

In their wisdom, our Founding Fathers eschewed a full
democracy for a democratic republic form of government. In their minds, the tyranny of the majority
was as much a danger to our young country as was a monarchy. Also in their minds was the fear that slaves
might impact the vote. So, they devised the Electoral College, a system by
which a few men from each state could reflect – or override – the popular vote,
state by state. The system intentionally gave more power to some areas of the
country. In the country’s entire history, it has never
once used its power to set aside the selection of a candidate for
president.

These are the reasons it should do so now.

The Electoral College is not a rubber stamp. It was given its own deliberative and voting
powers. The reason newscasters can predict the outcome of an election within
hours of the polls closing is simple calculations, based on the needed 270
votes and where they are located. It must be kept in mind that the Electoral
College has not yet cast their votes. There is a provision in the Constitution
that allows for what is called “a faithless elector.” Electors may, by law, vote against the selection their state has made. Obviously,
this was not encouraged, nor expected, but it was precisely allowed.

The current President-elect is a uniquely unqualified
candidate. Not only does he not have the
experience to govern, he does not have the temperament to deal effectively with
either world leaders or his own people.
Even his self-proclaimed business acumen is suspect due to his lack of
transparency and multiple bankruptcies.
His cabinet appointments have shown either his inability to run the
government or his desire to dismantle it.
His petulant attitude toward criticism of any sort makes him a danger to
those he would rule. At best, he is a
thin-skinned, inept authoritarian who will use the office for his personal
benefit. At worse, he is a puppet and
will do irreparable harm to the country.

The President-elect’s ties to Russia are chilling. There is no nuance, no diplomacy in his
approach to this long-time adversary of the United States. Instead, he has appointed a Secretary of
State who is so close to the Kremlin that he has received a medal from Putin’s
own hand. Worse, US intelligence
agencies have found actual proof that Russia actively interfered with the
election, likely on Trump’s behalf. As
Trump has not released his tax returns, there is no way to see connections
there, but this lack of transparency itself is also worrisome. Clearly what we
see is not all we are getting.

Even setting Russia aside, the President-elect’s approach to
foreign policy is clumsy, juvenile, and potential damaging, not just to the US,
but to the world. His reluctance to sit still long enough for a daily
intelligence briefing is troubling but his attitude that he does not need them
because he is so “smart” is the kind of hubris that causes war. Challenging foreign powers on Twitter is even
more inappropriate than the social media bullying for which he is so well
known. This is not a man who should be
anywhere near the nuclear codes.

Finally, there is the popular vote. Yes, other Presidents have taken office not
having won the popular vote. However,
never has one lost the popular vote so spectacularly as has Trump. With a divide of nearly three million votes,
it is clear that the American people do not want this man as President. Whether it is his hubris, his sexism, his
racism, his petulance, or his lack of qualifications, the people have spoken.
His election so far has been based on economic anger and the lies he told to
inflame it. That he will do nothing to alleviate the pain of those who voted
for him, and will, in fact, increase economic hardship by enabling the
dismantling of health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and more, makes
Trump a fraud.

The Electoral College was made for exactly this
situation. We have an assumed President-elect
whose election was influenced by an enemy nation, who failed by millions of votes
to win the hearts and minds of the American people, yet who claims a mandate; who has shown an unwillingness to do the actual work of the Presidency, and in
fact, intends to maintain both his business and television empires concurrent
with his term; who has acted inappropriately not only personally, but also on
the foreign stage before even having the authority to do so; and who has shown either
ignorance of, or clear disdain for our Constitution.

If the Electoral College does not use its legal power to
keep this man from the highest office, it has abdicated its responsibilities
and shown itself to be ineffective and archaic.
If, however, it rises to the occasion, it will cement its place in our
government and prove the wisdom of its founders. Such action will, of course, require courage,
but it will also go down in history as a peaceful act that may well save the
most powerful nation the world has ever seen from its own demise.

I know. I cannot believe, as one raised in the 50s, that we have gleefully elected a president who idolizes Russia, is incompetent, and appears to want to dismantle our country. I hope it is a brief aberration and not our demise.